“Dylan?” I finally manage to get her name out, my voice rougher than I expected. “What... what are you doing here?”
She pushes herself up, brushing her hair behind her ear. There’s something fragile in the way she’s moving, like she’s holding herself together by a thread. “I’m sorry for just... showing up. I—I needed to get away. Can we talk? I didn’t know where else to go.”
“Yeah, of course. Come inside.”
I push open the door to my condo my keys clattering against the table as I drop them, barely glancing up at the familiar walls. The place smells like laundry detergent and leftover takeout, the usual mix, and I’m ready to crash after the day I’ve had.
“Make yourself at home.” I turn, watching her as I take the grocery bag to the counter and drop it.
It’s her. Dylan.
She looks up from her phone after obviously texting someone, her eyes wide and nervous, her lips parting as if she’s unsure of what to say. I blink, still trying to process that she’s here, in my apartment unannounced. My heart does this weird leap in my chest, a mix of surprise and something deeper, something that’s been simmering between us for months now.
“I hope it’s okay that I’m here. I don’t want to impose,” she whispers, as I start putting away the things I bought.
“You’re not imposing,” I tell her quietly. “I’m glad you’re here. But... what happened? What about Ford and Jacob?”
“They know.” Her voice is small, like she’s still half-apologizing for being here. “They just asked me to keep them in the loop. Make sure I’m okay since we’re states apart.” She lets out a bitter laugh, hugging herself. “They think some time away from Momzilla might help.”
Dylan’s mom is a bitch. She’s hell-bent on controlling everything in Dylan’s life—including her college choice and major, which I’m guessing is what this is all about. “Did you have another fight with her?” I ask, even though the answer is pretty clear from the way her expression hardens.
Dylan nods, pacing toward the window. “She moved up the wedding date, Matthew. To the same day as the move-in day. She’s doing it on purpose. She doesn’t want me to go. It’s like she’s determined to sabotage my plans, like she doesn’t believe I’m capable of following my dreams. I’m supposed to be excited about starting at CSU, about studying sports medicine, and all she cares about is some stupid sorority life that I have no interest in.”
I feel a sharp pang of anger, wanting to do something—anything—to fix this for her. Dylan doesn’t deserve this crap. She’s one of the most determined, hard-working people I know, and she’s got dreams bigger than some cookie-cutter life her mom’s trying to shove her into. I step closer, feeling the urge tocomfort her somehow. “That’s messed up,” I say, my voice low. “She should be proud of you. You’re going to crush it here at CSU, Dylan. And if she can’t see that, then... that’s her problem.”
Dylan turns to look at me, her eyes shining with frustration and exhaustion. “I just needed to get away from it all, you know? I didn’t want to deal with her guilt trips or passive-aggressive comments. So I came here. I wasn’t sure if you’d be okay with it, but... I needed to see you.”
I close the gap between us, lightly touching her arm. “You’re always welcome here. Always.” The words come out softer than I intended, but they’re true. Seeing her like this—vulnerable and raw—stirs something in me that I’ve been trying to ignore for too long. “I’m glad you’re here.”
Her shoulders relax a little, and she offers a small smile that makes my chest tighten. “Thanks, Matthew. I just... I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Let’s get some food, yeah?” I suggest, trying to lighten the mood. “You look like you haven’t eaten all day.”
She lets out a small laugh, shaking her head. “I haven’t. I was too busy packing and running out of the house like a fugitive.”
I grab my phone to order a pizza, something easy since I’m not in the mood to cook. “Pizza okay?” I ask, glancing up at her as I confirm the order.
“Perfect,” she says, settling back onto the couch. “I could eat an entire pizza by myself right now.”
I chuckle, sitting down beside her, the tension between us easing just a little. As we wait for the food, we start talking about CSU and her plans for the semester. She tells me she’s not sure about her course load yet, and that she needs to meet with a counselor to make sure she’s taking the right classes for her prerequisites.
“I can help you set that up,” I offer. “And I want to introduce you to Coach. He’s been asking about you ever since I mentionedyou were coming here to visit before school starts. You’ll love him.”
Her face lights up, that spark returning to her eyes. “Really? I’d love that. I’ve been so nervous about it all. CSU is a huge step, and I feel like everything’s just been one big mess with my mom.”
“Don’t let her ruin this for you,” I say firmly. “You’ve worked too hard to get here, Dylan. You’re going to do amazing things, and CSU is just the beginning.”
She looks at me for a long moment, her expression softening. “Thanks for believing in me, Matthew. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
The pizza arrives not long after, and we dig in, the conversation flowing easily between bites. We talk about lacrosse, about the upcoming season, and I can see her start to relax more, the weight of everything that happened with her mom slowly fading.
Eventually, the night winds down, and I offer her my bed, telling her I’ll sleep on the couch.
“Matthew, no,” she protests, standing in the doorway of my room. “I can’t kick you out of your bed. I’ll take the couch.”
I shake my head, crossing my arms. “Not happening. You take the bed. I’ll be fine out here.”
She argues for a bit, but eventually, she gives in, muttering something about me being too stubborn for my own good. I watch as she heads into my room, leaving the door slightly ajar as she changes. I shouldn’t look, but I can’t help it.
